Expert: M'sians should learn from South Korea's nationwide civil defence drill

KUALA LUMPUR: An academic has urged Malaysians in South Korea to make use of the knowledge they learn from the nation’s first nationwide civil defence exercise, which is set to take place on Wednesday (23 August). Dr. Hoo Chiew Ping, a senior lecturer in strategic studies and international relations at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), told Bernama that raising awareness of disaster management before it occurs is beneficial for Malaysia and other nations as well. She stated that holding a drill to evaluate the adequacy of the government and military assets in managing large-scale evacuation events, such as floods, due to unforeseen circumstances would be beneficial.

The Malaysian embassy in Seoul has urged Malaysians residing in South Korea to adhere closely to directives from local authorities throughout the drill. Currently, there are 3442 Malaysians residing in the country. The 20-minute exercise, the first in six years, is part of the preparations for potential air raids. South Korea takes the potential threat from its nemesis and neighbor, North Korea, seriously.

Dr. Hoo, whose main research focuses on the security issues and peace process of the Korean peninsula, highlighted that the exercise is considered unique as it emphasizes the real-life scenario with a larger scale exercise. The South Korean government aims to have every citizen and resident in sync with the government’s evacuation plan. Dr. Hoo believes that this year’s drill will be different from previous ones, specifically due to the challenge posed by drones potentially being used for terrorist attacks.

According to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the civil defence drill will last for 20 minutes and involve the evacuation of the general public to a safe place. Areas that were declared special disaster areas due to heavy rain and Typhoon Khanun in July and early August will be excluded from the exercise. The drill will begin with an air-raid warning and conclude with a siren indicating the end of the exercise at 2.20 pm.